My beloved Orps are gone...potential suspects!

[EweSheep]

Minks and weasels CAN carry heavy birds. And they do a terrific blood bath too! Coons don't kill everything on sight but they do some damages.

I know you are grief stricken about your beloved Orps and do what you can in proofing the coop. Even in the best attempts in securing our coops, something or someone would TRY to attempt to gain enterance in the coop.

Lots of hugs your way and hopefully you will be able to replenish your Orps. You can incubate the eggs if they had some eggs left behind.

 

[wolftracks]

Shelley I'm so sorry!

I lost most of s brooder of chicks this week to a cat. What a sick feeling. I was apologetic to my survivors too. Funny how you just feel like you have to do that huh?

I hope you find the killer. Mine ended up being a neighborhood drama, but he's gone now.

I've seen pics of your birds and I know they were nice birds and that yoy cared for them.

Good luck tonight.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
I'm going to set some live traps and put a baby monitor in their pen tonight. I'm going to leave the 3 birds in their "home" for today and move them to a secure area tonight...until I catch their stalker.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

if it is a mink they will avoid the traps, a coon should go in, if it turns out to be a mink PM me and I'll tell you how I caught mine.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm so sorry. I love my orps, and cried hard after I lost one to a hawk attack.

I'm thinking the attacker is a raccoon or possum, because I have heard they can both chew off the head.

We used to have free ranging old english that roosted in the rafters of a shed and I found a few of them gutted and the heads chewed off. That predator had to be a climber. The surviving chickens stopped roosting there and started roosting in the trees!

As far as your surviving chickens, they will probably be stressed out either way, whether you put them in a new housing or keep them in the same housing. I think it depends on which you can make most secure in the short term, especially considering the predator might come back looking for more. I think no matter which you choose they will acclimate and calm down given time

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Will do...thanks! I have one of those really small live traps and was thinking about baiting it with some bloody chicken liver I have from some processed roosters, and piling straw up around the sides of the trap and lay some straw on top so it looks more natural. I've heard mink are hard to catch.

But let me ask this...the 1 rooster that got killed was actually in a neighboring duck pen (there's only a 2 foot fence separating these 2 particular pens). Could a mink hoist an 8lb rooster across this fence?

The fence was only 2 feet because the ducks didn't want anything to do with the Orps, and vice versa, so there was never any issues with birds crossing the fence.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Unless I misunderstand what you're saying, couldn't the rooster have just tried to flee into the duck pen?

So sorry you lost your birds, we understand your pain

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Thank you.

I thought the same thing at first, myself...but this particular rooster's name was "Gimpy" because he broke his leg as a young chick. So he was unable to rooster and walked with a "gimp" because his broken leg didn't set straight. With his leg the way it was, I don't think he would've been able to jump over that fence. And even if he could've managed to "flutter" that high, I don't know if he would've done it in the middle of the night. I honestly think he was dead before he was even taken out into the run of his own pen. With him sleeping on the floor, he was probably the first bird that was killed.

 

[Heidi]

Oh Michelle! I'm so sorry for you lost. What a horrible experience. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you have a 100% hatch rate.

 

[Wynette]

SHELL! WHAT THE....

I'm SO SO sorry!

We live an hour from each other - You've alwasy been there for me, and you take exellent care of your chooks! Don't look back-look forward. Nothing you can do about it now, but hopefully, you can figure out what took them and guard against it. I'm shocked that guard dog of yours didn't alert you! Also - I have a TON of fox near me; I believe they will kill & sometimes not take all killed as well. I'm sure if I have a ton, you do, too...so maybe it was a fox.

Again - so VERY SORRY! Please call if I can help in any way, friend!